Monday, January 13, 2014

Lint trap

At the beginning of the year, a maintenance man came into my home and
cleaned/replaced some tubing that connected my clothes dryer to the
outdoors. He told me that I should clean them regularly so my machine
can be more efficient. That's all fine, only I don't have a vacuum with
an extendable arm to reach inside of the tube.

"Whatever," I think. "I'll just let them clean it twice a year. That's why I pay maintenance fees."

A
few months later, I'm about to put a wet load of laundry in the dryer
and see a small piece of dark lint stuck to the filter. I pull out the
lint trap/filter and see how it comes apart (it's a two-piece mesh
contraption). And what I saw next shocked me. The lint resembled
cotton padding, used to make pillows. Layers upon layers of dark blue
dust and fluff had accumulated. It was so thick (almost one inch) and
compressed, I was able to pull it out in one piece.

After
cleaning it up and reinstalling it, I place my wet clothing back inside
the clothes dryer and turn it on. Maybe the maintenance guy was right
and I should clean it out more regularly. I'm not in the mood to use my
old lint as pillow stuffing any time soon.